American Revolution/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby Tim is in the bathroom taking a shower and sees Moby standing behind him. TIM: Whoa! Stop doing that. Go away. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Now? Here? MOBY: Beep. TIM: Alright. Moby holds out a letter and hands it to Tim. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, what was the American Revolution like? From, Admiral T. Tim stands in front of the shower. He is wearing a bathrobe. Moby stands next to him. TIM: The American Revolution was a long and bitter war. The American Colonists were outmatched. They had an inexperienced volunteer militia, and they were up against the British, the most powerful military in the world. Images show armed colonial militiamen and armed British soldiers facing off against one another. TIM: The first shot of the revolution was fired at Lexington, Massachusetts on April 19, 1775. An image shows a map of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. A dot appears on the map, showing the position of Lexington, Massachusetts. TIM: 700 British troops fought against 75 colonial militiamen. An image shows a bird's-eye view of colonial and British troops confronting one another. TIM: The colonists knew the British were coming to Lexington because silversmith Paul Revere and his fellow patriots William Dawes and Samuel Prescott warned them in their famous Midnight Ride. An animation shows three colonists riding horses at night. TIM: The British killed 8 colonists, then marched to Concord, Massachusetts. Several units of colonial minutemen were waiting for them. A map shows the route from Lexington, Massachusetts to Concord, Massachusetts. TIM: Minutemen were militia fighters who pledged to be ready at a minute's notice. They lived up to their name. An image shows several minutemen standing in a line. TIM: Colonist leaders met in the Second Continental Congress. An image shows a meeting of colonial leaders. TIM: They decided to form a Continental Army, led by George Washington. An image shows George Washington leading his army. TIM: Believe it or not, most colonists still hoped for peace with England at this point. But Thomas Paine's famous 1776 pamphlet, Common Sense, convinced many that the only course was independence. An image shows Thomas Paine. TIM: In 1776, the Continental Congress wrote the Declaration of Independence. After it was adopted by all thirteen colonies, the war with England was final. It was a long fight. An image shows the Declaration of Independence. TIM: General Washington managed to drive the British out of Boston early on. But attracting recruits to the American cause was tough. The Colonial Army was poorly equipped, and many thought it had no chance against the British. A map illustrates the British being driven from Boston, Massachusetts into the ocean, toward their home. TIM: On Christmas Day in 1776, Washington led his army across the Delaware River and took British forces by surprise. An image shows Washington and his troops crossing the Delaware River. TIM: After this victory, many recruits joined the Continental Army. The Battle of Saratoga in New York was a turning point in the war. After the Americans won there, European nations lent support to the colonial cause. An image shows a map of New York and the town of Saratoga. TIM: Benedict Arnold was an American general who helped win these battles. An image shows Benedict Arnold. MOBY: Beep. TIM: That's right. He eventually switched sides and became a traitor for England. Anyway, in Europe, Benjamin Franklin won France's support. An animation shows Benjamin Franklin speaking in front of an assembly. TIM: And France eventually convinced Spain to help out, too. This was a big help. The British now had to fight many different enemies on both land and sea. But the American army was still short on supplies. In the winter of 1777, a quarter of Washington's troops died at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania from cold, starvation, and disease. An animation shows a colonial solider shivering beneath a blanket in the snowy woods. TIM: On the ocean, the American officer John Paul Jones won a major naval battle off the coast of England. An image shows John Paul Jones standing on the deck of a ship. TIM: It was an embarrassing defeat for the British, whose supremacy on the seas was world-renowned. And on land, American forces started scoring one victory after another. Earlier on, they had realized that they couldn't defeat the British in traditional warfare. So they became successful with guerilla warfare. MOBY: Beep. TIM: No, no. Guerilla warfare. Instead of meeting the British on a battlefield, they staged small hit-and-run ambushes. This frustrated a British army already tired from five years of fighting. An animation shows the British marching down a trail in the woods. Colonists with guns watch them from the woods. TIM: In 1781, at the Battle of Yorktown, Virginia, American and French forces fought against the British in the war's final battle. A map shows the location of Yorktown, Virginia. TIM: They defeated the British general, Lord Cornwallis. An image shows Lord Cornwallis. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah. Without the French military's help, the war might have gone on a lot longer. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Anyway, the Revolutionary War is a huge subject. We could spend ten movies going over all the details and battles. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Hey, where'd you go? Moby is in the shower. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Oh, so that's why you wanted to be in this movie now? MOBY: Beep. TIM: You know, you could have just waited for your turn. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Revolution? Category:BrainPOP Transcripts